2000
#66,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Chaffey
A place name derived from the Old English word "cæfïc," meaning a chaff-strewn area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 366 Americans carry the last name Chaffey. That puts it at #66,829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 936,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chaffey surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chaffey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
366
1 in 936,487
Census rank
#66,829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
319
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 319 bearers of the surname Chaffey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 66829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chaffey
The surname CHAFFEY is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words 'ceaf' meaning chaff or husks of grain, and 'ey' meaning an island or dry ground surrounded by water or marsh. The name likely originated in the county of Somerset, England, during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Chaveia', referring to a place name in Somerset. This suggests the name was initially used as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or came from a place called Chaffey or a similar variation.
In the 13th century, the name appeared as 'Chavey' and 'Chaveye' in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Somerset from 1273. This indicates the surname's evolution from its Old English roots to a more modern spelling.
Notable historical figures bearing the surname CHAFFEY include:
1. Richard Chaffey (1684-1756), an English landowner and farmer from Somerset.
2. William Chaffey (1826-1926), a Canadian-American engineer and land developer who founded the town of Ontario, California, and played a significant role in the development of irrigation systems in the southwestern United States.
3. George Chaffey (1848-1932), William Chaffey's brother, who co-founded the town of Mildura in Victoria, Australia, and was instrumental in establishing the region's irrigation and agricultural industries.
4. Benjamin Chaffey (1865-1943), a New Zealand politician and member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1923 to 1943.
5. Arthur Chaffey (1883-1971), an Australian politician and member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1931 to 1946, representing the United Australia Party.
The surname CHAFFEY has also been associated with various place names, such as Chaffey's Locks and Chaffey's Flats in Ontario, Canada, named after the Chaffey brothers who were involved in the development of those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chaffey
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Chaffey bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Chaffey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 10
- Two or more races2.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chaffey
Chaffey appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#73,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 263
-15 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 7,190 places
2020
#66,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 319
+56 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 6,837 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,476 | 278 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,666 | 263 | 0.09 | -15 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 7,190 places |
| 2020 | #66,829 | 319 | 0.11 | +56 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 6,837 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Chaffey surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #73,666 | #66,829 | 9.3% |
| Count | 263 | 319 | 21.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 18.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chaffey bearers went from 263 to 319 (+21.3% change). The surname moved up 6,837 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,666 to #66,829.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chaffey
FAQ
Chaffey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chaffey?
Name Census estimates that about 366 living Americans carry the surname Chaffey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 936,487 residents.
How common is Chaffey?
Chaffey ranks #66,829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 319 people with the surname Chaffey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Chaffey.
Has Chaffey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chaffey went from 263 recorded bearers to 319. That is an increase of 56 (+21.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,666 to #66,829.
What does the Census say about the background of Chaffey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaffey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chaffey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (294 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chaffey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Chaffey (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Chaffey mean?
A place name derived from the Old English word "cæfïc," meaning a chaff-strewn area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Chaffey (0.11 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Chaffey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.